Polar Research (E-Journal)
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Polar Research’s referees
No full textIt is once again time to thank all the scientists— not only those whose names are printed on the following pages—who have kindly served as referees for Polar Research during the last couple of years
Review of Polarfahrer—Im Banne der Arktis, by Theodor Lerner, edited by Frank Berger
No full textTheodor Lerner was born 1866 in Antweiler/Ahr and died 1931 in Frankfurt/Main, where he had lived from 1911 onwards. In Polarfahrer—Im Banne der Arktis, which can be translated as “Polar traveller—spellbound by the Arctic”, Frank Berger presents Lerner’s original 1930–31 manuscript. The editor has undertaken only some orthographical and grammatical alterations. Lerner’s original manuscript is supplemented with (solely old) photographs, a few maps, an epilogue, a brief biography, the editor’s footnotes to the text and a list of references
Review of Le monde polaire, mutations et transitions, under the direction of Marie-Françoise André
No full textAs mentioned on its back cover, Le monde polaire, mutations et transitions comprises part of a collection (Carrefours) intended for students of geography, history and the social sciences as well as for a wider public interested in understanding the changes our world is undergoing. Other volumes in the series concern, for example, water in the Arab world, large cities of North America and international commerce
The Barents Sea ice sheet - a sedimentological discussion
No full textSediment sampling and shallow seismic profiling in the western and northern Barents Sea show that the bedrock in regions with less than 300 m water depth is unconformably overlain by only a thin veneer (< 10 m) of sediments. Bedrock exposures are probably common in these areas. The sediments consist of a Holocene top unit, 0.1-1.5 m in thickness, grading into Late Weichselian glaciomarine sediments. Based on average sedimentation rates (14C-dating) of the Holocene sediments, the transition between the two units is estimated to 10,00~12,000 B.P. The glaciomarine sediments are commonly 1-3 m in thickness and underlain by stiff pebbly mud, interpreted as till and/or glaciomarine sediments overrun by a glacier. In regions where the water depth is over 300 m the sediment thickness increases, exceeding 500 m near the shelf edge at the mouth of Bj0rnByrenna. In Bjbrn0yrenna itself the uppermost 15-20m seem to consist of soft glaciomarine sediments underlain by a well-defined reflector, probably the surface of the stiff pebbly mud. Local sediment accumulations in the form of moraine ridges and extensive glaciomarine deposits (20-60m in thickness) are found at 250-300m water depth, mainly in association with submarine valleys. Topographic highs, probably moraine ridges, are also present at the shelf edge. Based on the submarine morphology and sediment distribution, an ice sheet is believed to have extended to the shelf edge at least once during the Pleistocene. Spitsbergenbanken and the northern Barents Sea have also probably been covered by an ice sheet in the Late Weichselian. Lack of suitable organic material in the glacigenic deposits has prevented precise dating. Based on the regional geology of eastern Svalbard, a correlation of this younger stage with the Late Weichselian is indicated
Pyroclastic material from the Upper Triassic deposits of Sassenfjorden, Spitsbergen
No full textPyroclastic material of a rhyolite type is present in some thin layers in the upper part of the De Geerdalen Formation in the Sassenfjorden area. This is the first evidence of late Triassic (Norian.Rhaetian) volcanic activity in Svalbard
Environmental change as a threat to the pilot whale hunt in the Faroe Islands
No full textThe Faroese pilot whale hunt—the grindadráp—has provided meat and blubber for human consumption since at least the late 16th century. This paper briefly discusses the history of the grindadráp in the context of its culture and broader human–environmental interactions. It then describes threats to the continuance of the grindadráp, including the possibility of over-extraction through poor management, international protests and boycotts, and the current issue of marine pollutants found in the tissues of the whales. Next, it examines the outcomes, or anticipated outcomes, of each of these threats. The coordination of science and policy has arguably ensured a sustainable take level, whereas the redirection of many protest efforts to other, more commercialized whaling operations has reduced international pressure on the Faroese to give up whaling. However, the issue of environmental pollutants remains, and has become the leading threat to the grindadráp. It concludes with a look to the future and at what changes the Faroese would have to make in their current food and cultural systems were the grindadráp to cease, and what the environmental, economic and cultural effects of those changes might be. The major options examined are: increasing the importation of foodstuffs, increasing local food production and redirecting part of the fisheries’ catch from exports to the local market. Each option carries its own environmental, economic and cultural impact. A careful combination of the three will most likely prove to be best, if indeed the grindadráp is to be reduced or abandoned
Predation of flightless pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) by Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) in southern Edgeøya, Svalbard
No full textObservations of walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) predation of flightless pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) at an important moult site in southern Edgeøya, Svalbard, constitute the first documented evidence of flightless Anatidae being taken by this species
Review of Innocents in the Arctic. The 1951 Spitsbergen Expedition, by Colin Bull
No full textAs the title implies, this book is the story of an expedition to Spitsbergen in 1951. It would be an exaggeration to state that the expedition was actually sent forth by the University of Birmingham, but the ten young members were all attached to that institution as graduate or undergraduate students or, in two cases, as lecturers. One of the latter had by 1951 reached the considerable age of 28, but otherwise the field party consisted of men in their early twenties. In other circumstances this information might be of little relevance, but in this particular case age—or rather lack of experience—does play a certain role, alluded to by the book’s title. No doubt the university lent moral and to some extent practical support to the expedition, but it is obvious from reading the book that the initiative and most of the effort came from the participants themselves. Thus, an important lesson is learned already at the outset of the story: enthusiasm can bring you a long way, even to the Arctic
